Groove wear measurement system and method

Abstract

A method for estimating groove wear, the method including: receiving one or more captured images of a striking face of a first golf club head having a first set of grooves in the striking face; comparing, by at least one processor, the one or more captured images to a plurality of reference images, including at least a first reference image and a second reference image, wherein the first reference image includes an image of a first reference striking face having a first level of groove wear, and the second reference image includes an image of a second reference striking face having a second level of groove wear different from the first level of groove wear; and estimating, by the at least one processor and based on the comparison, a determined level of groove wear of the striking face of the first golf club head.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for estimating groove wear, comprising:
 receiving, by at least one processor, one or more captured images of a striking face of a first golf club head having a first set of grooves in the striking face;   retrieving, by the at least one processor, a plurality of reference images including a first reference image and a second reference image;   comparing, by the at least one processor, the one or more captured images to the plurality of reference images, wherein the first reference image comprises an image of a first reference striking face having a first level of groove wear, and the second reference image comprises an image of a second reference striking face having a second level of groove wear different from the first level of groove wear;   estimating, by the at least one processor and based on the comparison, a determined level of groove wear of the striking face of the first golf club head; and   providing the determined level of groove wear.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the comparing comprises determining that groove wear of the first set of grooves in the one or more captured images more closely resembles groove wear of a set of grooves in the first reference striking face in the first reference image than groove wear of a set of grooves in the second reference striking face in the second reference image, and
 wherein the estimating comprises estimating the determined level of groove wear of the striking face of the first golf club head based on the first level of groove wear.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a first groove from among the first set of grooves has a greatest level of wear in the one or more captured images, a first reference groove has a greatest level of wear from among a set of grooves in the first reference striking face in the first reference image, and a second reference groove has a greatest level of wear from among a set of grooves in the second reference striking face in the second reference image, and
 wherein the comparing comprises comparing the first groove in the one or more captured images to the first reference groove in the first reference image and to the second reference groove in the second reference image.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of grooves comprises an Nth groove from a lower leading edge of the striking face of the first golf club head, the first reference striking face has a set of grooves comprising an Nth groove from a lower leading edge of the first reference striking face, the second reference striking face has a set of grooves comprising an Nth groove from a lower leading edge of the second reference striking face, and
 wherein the comparing comprises comparing the Nth groove of the striking face in the one or more captured images to the Nth groove of the first reference striking face in the first reference image and to the Nth groove of the second reference striking face in the second reference image.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the comparing comprises comparing the first set of grooves in the striking face of the first golf club head in the one or more captured images respectively to a set of corresponding grooves in the first reference striking face in the first reference image and respectively to a set of corresponding grooves in the second reference striking face in the second reference image. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first golf club head, a golf club head having the first reference striking face, and a golf club head having a second reference striking face are all a same type of golf club head. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reference images are retrieved from electronic storage, and
 wherein the method further comprises retrieving, from the electronic storage   and for each reference image of the reference images, at least one of a groove depth or a groove edge radius of one or more grooves shown in the reference image.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises capturing the one or more captured images by a camera, and
 wherein the camera and the at least one processor are in a phone, a tablet, a computer, a smart watch, or smart glasses.   
     
     
         9 . A method for estimating groove wear, comprising:
 receiving, by at least one processor, one or more captured images of a striking face of a golf club head having a groove in the striking face;   estimating, by the at least one processor and based on the one or more captured images, dimensions of the groove;   estimating, based on the estimated dimensions of the groove and relative to a reference groove in a reference striking face of a reference golf club head, groove wear of the striking face based on at least one of a decrease in groove depth of the groove or an increase in groove edge radius of the groove; and   providing the estimated groove wear.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the golf club head and the reference golf club head are a same type of golf club head, and the reference groove has substantially no groove wear. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , comprising at least one of:
 estimating the decrease in groove depth of the groove by determining a groove depth of the groove based on the estimated dimensions of the groove, retrieving a groove depth of the reference groove from a memory, and comparing the groove depth of the groove to the groove depth of the reference groove, or   estimating the increase in groove edge radius of the groove by determining a groove edge radius of the groove based on the estimated dimensions of the groove, retrieving a groove edge radius of the reference groove from a memory, and comparing the groove edge radius of the groove to the groove edge radius of the reference groove.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the groove is a groove that has a greatest level of groove wear from among a set of grooves in the striking face, and the reference groove is a groove that has a greatest level of groove wear from among a set of grooves in the reference striking face, or   the groove is an Nth groove from a lower leading edge of the striking face from among a set of grooves in the striking face, and the reference groove is an Nth groove from a lower leading edge of the reference striking face from among a set of grooves in the reference striking face.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein a set of grooves are in the striking face, a set of respectively corresponding reference grooves are in the reference striking face, and the method further comprises:
 estimating, by the at least one processor, dimensions of each of the set of grooves in the striking face; and   comparing, by the at least one processor and in terms of at least one of groove depth or groove edge radius, each of the set of grooves respectively to the set of corresponding reference grooves.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the estimating the dimensions of the groove and the estimating the groove wear of the striking face are performed by the at least one processor when executing instructions stored in a memory operatively coupled to the at least one processor. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising capturing, by a camera, the one or more captured images,
 wherein the camera, the at least one processor, and the memory are included in a phone, a tablet, a computer, a smartwatch, or smart glasses.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is in a first device, and the method further comprises wirelessly receiving the one or more captured images from a second device. 
     
     
         17 . A system, comprising:
 at least one processor; and   a memory, operatively connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the at least one processor, one or more captured images of a striking face of a first golf club head having a first set of grooves in the striking face; 
 retrieving, by the at least one processor, a plurality of reference images including a first reference image and a second reference image; 
 comparing, by the at least one processor, the one or more captured images to the plurality of reference images, wherein the first reference image comprises an image of a first reference striking face having a first level of groove wear, and the second reference image comprises an image of a second reference striking face having a second level of groove wear different from the first level of groove wear; 
 estimating, by the at least one processor and based on the comparison, a determined level of groove wear of the striking face of the first golf club head; and 
 providing the determined level of groove wear. 
   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the comparing comprises determining that groove wear of the first set of grooves in the one or more captured images more closely resembles groove wear of a set of grooves in the first reference striking face in the first reference image than groove wear of a set of grooves in the second reference striking face in the second reference image, and
 wherein the estimating comprises estimating the determined level of groove wear of the striking face of the first golf club head based on the first level of groove wear.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising a camera,
 wherein the method further comprises capturing, by the camera, the one or more captured images, and   wherein the at least one processor, the memory, and the camera are in a phone, a tablet, a computer, a smartwatch, or smart glasses.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the at least one processor are in a first device, and the method further comprises wirelessly receiving the one or more captured images from a second device.